Old Face, New Game
by twilight-paramore
Summary: After coming back from the Glass City, Clary thought things would return to normal. But while attending a party at Magnus's, everything she knew was wrong. The one person she thought was dead was alive, and he was back for revenge. Can Clary manage that?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: NEW STORY TIME!**

Yeah, that's right. It's _The Mortal Instruments_ fanfic. (:

And I know this may seem weird but let me explain first. First off, Sebastian will be alive in this mainly because he's something that I need in this story and mainly because I just love the little devil. Second off, this is right after the third book, so Valentine is dead, just not Sebastian. Okay?

Also, I'm sorry to say this isn't _Twilight._ I am working on those too, so don't worry. And if you came here to read _Twilight_ and you haven't read _The Mortal Instruments _series then again, I'm sorry. You should read those! They're made of win. :D

Enjoy!

Oh, and of course. These characters are not mine.  


* * *

"It's good to be home," Isabelle sighed as she brushed through her long black hair with the silver brush in her hand. She sighed contently before laying it down on the dresser, and then grabbed her foundation. "I missed having the feeling of comfort while sitting in my room."

Clary nodded her head then, but wasn't really paying any attention. She was sitting on Izzy's window seat while looking out of it, staring down at the two boys. One of them was Jace, so of course she couldn't look away. The other was Simon. They were both in a fighting stance, but Jace's stance topped Simon's by a lot in Clary's eyes.

"And what's the best way to celebrate being back?" Isabelle continued without hesitation. "A party at Magnus's apartment! That's what! I'm so excited!"

"Yeah, me too," Clary said to fill in the silence. She heard Isabelle's chair turn, making her drop her attention on the two boys so she could look at Isabelle. Isabelle had her hands on her hips while scowling at her.

"What?" Clary asked, completely oblivious to the obvious of the situation.

Isabelle sighed. "What's _with_ you? I've been talking with you for over an hour, but all I get out of you is a couple head shakes and a few words."

"Nothing, Izzy," Clary replied while dropping her gaze to the floor. "I just was distracted by something..."

Isabelle giggled while spinning back around so she was facing the mirror. "Staring at Jace again. I see."

Clary nodded, knowing that she could be seen in Isabelle's mirror. She turned her head back towards the window, hoping not to have missed anything in the fighting lesson between Jace and Simon. But when she looked down out of the window, she couldn't see her best friend or the boy who she happened to have fallen in love with. Instead, all she could see was the grass below.

"Damn it," she whispered.

"What was that?" Isabelle asked while turning her head slightly so she could see Clary in the side of her eye.

Clary sighed. "Nothing."

Isabelle hesitated before turning back to the mirror once more and went back to applying her make-up. Clary dared one last look out the window, but she could only see the ground and no people. She decided she would go look for Jace herself, so she got up and waved goodbye to Isabelle before walking out into the large hallway. She walked down it towards Jace's room, but stopped when she heard voices coming from the library.

"You're a good fighter, Simon," she heard Jace say. "I'll give you that. And now that Clary's mother is fully awakened she should be okay to go back to living normally while having you and her mother to protect her."

"What about you?" Simon asked. "Aren't you going to be around to protect her?"

_Protect me?_ Clary asked herself in a thought. _From what?_

Clary heard a sigh and she immediately knew that Jace was the one who sighed. It was the kind of sigh he would always use with her when they weren't on good terms.

"I will be around, Simon," Jace replied. "I just can't always be with her. I have other people - family - to protect also. They need me just as much as I need them, so I have to balance things out between my family and Clary."

"I see, Jace..." Simon said quietly, almost enough to make it unable to be heard by Clary's ears. "You do what's best for you, I'll watch Clary."

Clary couldn't stand just listening anymore. She pushed the door to the library open with a look of pure hatred on her face. The two boys turned to face her, looking completely surprised by her actions. Clary took two steps into the room before glaring at them.

"Just who do you think you two are?" she asked through clenched teeth. Her hands were slowly clenching into fists at her sides as the anger inside of her began to grow. "Well?"

Jace took a step towards her while keeping his eyes on her's. "Clary, what's wrong?"

Clary let out the breath she was holding, letting it come out in a hiss. She made herself drop her gaze from Jace's eyes to the floor. Staring at him made all the anger inside her disappear, and that's something she didn't want to happen at this moment.

"I can protect myself," she growled in a whisper. "I don't need you two or my mother to protect me. I'm just as strong as any of you."

Simon sighed before walking swiftly over to his best friend. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders before hugging her tightly without causing her any pain from his vampire strength.

"You shouldn't have heard all that," he said quietly to her. "That was just business between Jace and I. Nothing important for your ears."

"What's coming after me, Simon?" Clary asked while moving away from him. She wanted to know, no matter how bad it seemed.

Simon looked over to Jace, making Clary's eyes follow his. Jace looked completely shocked, but then grew back his normal composure over himself. He met eyes with Simon before shaking his head no, then he looked over to Clary with his golden eyes. He started to walk towards her, but stopped a few feet away.

"Clary, I can't explain what's going on right now," Jace said without looking away from Clary's face. "You're just going to have to trust me on this, understood?"

That wasn't going to work for her. She hated not knowing, and normally Jace would have told her straight forward what was coming. Unless he wanted to just keep her out of it all.

"No, Jace," Clary said. "Tell me what's going on. If you don't I will just go ask Alec or Izzy."

"I will just have to stop you from doing that," he replied while moving closer to her, pinning her against the wall. He placed his hands on the wall beside her body, caging her inside that spot. "Won't I?"

Simon cleared his throat before he turned to exit from the library. Clary watched him leave, feeling like he should have stayed. But she knew that whenever Jace gets like this with her Simon feels out of place. She felt bad for making him feel like that, but it was out of her control.

"Jace..." Clary whispered while locking her gaze with his. "He-"

"Don't worry about Simon," Jace interrupted her while moving closer to her. "He knows what he has to do, and that was all I needed to say to him. He was free to leave."

Clary sighed. "What's going on?"

"This really isn't the best time to tell you, Clary," Jace replied. His hands fell from the wall and landed softly on her hips as he took that final step to just being inches away from her. "I promise you that once everything is fine, I will tell you. Is that all right?"

Her breath came out in a rush as his lips brushed against hers. He stopped, waiting for her answer. Clary knew this routine well.

"Fine," she said against his lips. "But you have until tomorrow night to tell me."

"Deal," Jace replied before kissing her.

The kiss started off slowly, but became faster as time flew by. Clary's hands were pulling slightly on Jace's strands of hair while his hands were rubbing up and down her back. It seemed like hours had past while they just stood there, kissing each other. But in reality, it was only ten minutes.

"Excuse me!" Isabelle called from the doorway. Clary and Jace separated, but his arms remained securely around her.

"What is it, Izzy?" Jace asked while looking over his shoulder towards her.

She rolled her eyes while placing her hands on her hips. "Like you don't know!"

Clary smiled slightly, realizing their mistake. She kissed Jace on the cheek before unwinding his arms away from her. Jace looked at her with confusion clear in his golden eyes.

"The party," she whispered to him. "I have to get ready, and so do you."

"That's right!" Isabelle exclaimed. "So, if you don't mind, Jace. I need to get Clary all pretty."

Jace nodded his head. "I need to go talk to Alec. Don't torture her too much, Izzy. I still want to be able to recognize her."

Clary laughed while Isabelle just glared at him. Then, she grabbed onto Clary's hand and pulled her out of the library, leaving Jace all alone.

"Geeze, Izzy!" Clary gasped from the strength of Isabelle's hand. "Loosen up, that's my drawing hand!"

Isabelle let go of her hand and turned to walk into her bedroom. Clary followed in behind her before going over to the mirror and taking a seat. Isabelle went straight to work on her hair, curling and pinning it up wherever she thought needed to be. After she was done with Clary's hair, Isabelle went straight to doing Clary's make-up. After all that was finished

Isabelle handed Clary a simple, little black dress to wear, and then left to find Alec and Jace.

Clary changed out of her tank top and sweat pants before pulling on the dress without messing up her hair or make-up. She slid on the silver flats Isabelle gave her to wear before walking back over to the mirror. She checked to see if everything look perfect on her before taking in a deep breath, and then releasing it slowly.

"You're going to be fine," she told herself. "You have Jace, Izzy, Alec, Magnus, and Simon going with you. Nothing can hurt you."

Clary believed her own words, but only to an extent. The only thing she didn't believe was if they all were going to be there to protect her. She didn't know if whatever was coming would distract them so much, making her left out in the open, waiting to be killed. And that scared her.

There was a soft knock on the door before Clary went over to open it for whoever wanted in. When the door was fully opened all Clary could see was black pants, a white v-neck, and a jacket. When she looked up she met those golden eyes that only Jace could have. He smiled at her while taking in her appearance.

"You look perfect," he said while walking into the room.

Clary blushed. "Thank you."

Suddenly, Isabelle and Alec came running down the hallway. Alec looked like he was in shock seeing as how Isabelle had his hand in hers, pulling him from room to room. Isabelle looked like... Well, normal.

"Are you two ready to leave yet?" Isabelle asked while releasing Alec's hand. "It's almost eleven, and I promised Simon that we would be there before eleven thirty."

Jace smirked. "He's got Maia. He should be fine. And you two can go on ahead of us."

Isabelle glared at him before latching onto his arm with her whip. She tugged on it slightly, just enough to make Jace stumble on his feet.

"No," she said. "We're going _together._ There is no two separate parties going to Magnus's party. Understood?"

Clary giggled before helping Jace up. "We're coming, Izzy."

"Good," she replied. She turned her back on them, grabbed Alec's hand again, and then marched right out of the room without even looking back.

"She's going to pay for that," Jace growled as he intertwined his fingers with Clary's. "No body pulls me down to the ground. Especially not her."

"Calm down," Clary replied with a smile. "She was just trying to make sure we were going to be at Magnus's on time. There's nothing wrong with that. You should know that."

Jace sighed as the two of them began to walk down the long hallway. Clary could see Alec and Isabelle waiting by the elevator, looking somewhat annoyed about having to wait. Once Jace and Clary were close enough to them, Alec turned his body slightly and pushed a button on the wall before the elevator's doors opened. They all stepped in and waited in silence before they were in the church's lobby. They walked outside into the night and started to head towards Magnus's place.

"It's kind of cold," Clary whispered to Jace as they turned a corner. Jace shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her with a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied.

They turned down a final corner before they were in the alley where Magnus's front door was. Alec rang the bell and then opened the door with a key Magnus had given him. The rest of them followed in behind him, sticking close together until they found Magnus.

"Alec!" Magnus called from besides the bar. "Come over here!"

Alec smiled and nodded as his feet began to take him towards Magnus. Isabelle rolled her eyes at him before walking towards the dance floor to find Simon and Maia. Clary watched her leave, but stayed standing still with Jace.

"Something feels off," Jace whispered into her ear.

"What do you mean?" Clary asked.

Jace looked around before pulling her towards a door. He opened it, pulled them through it, before closing it behind them and locking it. Jace let go of Clary's hand before he began to pace. Clary walked over to him and rested her hand on his arm, causing Jace to look at her and stop his pacing.

"Jace," she whispered. "What's wrong?"

Jace opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off by the sound of something exploding. Jace looked over to the locked door with a look of confusion. He began to walk slowly towards it but then stopped to look back at Clary.

"Stay here," he whispered. She nodded her head in reply as she watched him move out of the door swiftly.

There was another sound made, but it was the sound of something exploding. It sounded almost like someone had busted a door down. Clary walked over to the door and laid her ear against it, hoping she could hear something from the other side of the door. But all she heard was silence.

The silence she couldn't stand. She backed away from the door before unlocking it and opening it. She stepped into the room where the party was, but instead of seeing dancing bodies she saw Jace holding two seraph blades, looking lethal.

"I thought I got rid of you," Jace growled while glaring at someone standing in the doorway.

"You wish, Jace," the boy standing in the doorway replied. Clary knew that voice. She knew it all too well.

It was the voice of Sebastian.

* * *

**A/N: BIG TWIST ALREADY!? Yes. (:**

**This is going to be AWESOME! Reviews would be loverly!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: :3**

I'm a fast updater. ON THIS STORY! XD

I really need to get back onto something _Twilight_ related. But I just haven't felt like writing that. D: D: D: THAT'S BAD TO SAY!

But, once again, if you came here to read _Twilight_ related works, this is NOT the story for you. This is a _Mortal Instruments _fanfic. Go read the series, you'd be glad you did. :D

* * *

Clary's body suddenly went tense. She couldn't believe that Sebastian was alive. Jace had told her that he had killed him, but how could that be when Sebastian was standing only a few feet away from her?

"Jace," Sebastian said while pointing a dagger at him. "You know what I want, so why not just be a good boy and give her to me?"

"Because you don't need to have her," Jace growled. It seemed like the dagger didn't even effect his stance from where Clary was standing. "She's of no importance to you!"

Clary's feet kept shuffling forward towards the argument. She tried to stop herself, but she just couldn't. It was like somehow she was drawn to Sebastian.

Suddenly, Isabelle wrapped her arms around her, pulling her down behind the bar. Clary tried to escape, but Isabelle's arms were much stronger than Clary had thought.

"Stay still," Isabelle demanded in a whisper. "If Sebastian sees you... Never mind that. Just stay hidden like Jace told you to!"

Clary was about to ask what Isabelle meant, but Isabelle was gone in a blink of her eyes. She peeked around the corner of the bar, seeing Alec and Isabelle stand behind Jace, being his back up. Isabelle's whip was glowing as she flicked it slightly, preparing to strike at any given moment at time. Alec had his bow out and an arrow ready to be shot. To Clary he looked like he was about to kill, but she knew that Alec would never kill a soul, unless it was a demon.

Simon was standing a few feet back, hiding in the shadows, but ready to attack at any time. He watched Clary with close eyes, knowing that she could jump out and give Sebastian exactly what he came here for. Maia was standing beside Simon as she growled and bared her teeth at the intruder.

"Jace, is this really necessary?" Sebastian asked casually. "Honestly, you're blowing this all out of proportion. I didn't come here for a fight, I came here to talk to Clary."

Clary's body went still when she heard her name roll of Sebastian's tongue. _That's what they're protecting you from,_ her mind told her. _Sebastian was alive this whole time... And you didn't even know it because of Jace._

"You will not go near her," Jace said while taking a step forward. His seraph blades were lighting up the darkness, making it easy for Clary to see every single detail of this fight. "I swear to the Angel that if you touch her I will kill you."

Sebastian snorted. "You tried that once, but you failed. I don't think you can kill me just yet, anyways. You're too weak, Jace. No one can stop me now."

Jace chuckled before Isabelle threw her whip towards Sebastian. It wrapped around his foot before Isabelle tugged on it, knocking Sebastian to the floor. Jace walked over and placed a booted foot on Sebastian's chest before holding a seraph blade just inches away from Sebastian's throat.

"Weak?" Jace asked while leaning down. "You honestly think you're strong than me? From the looks of it, I'm not the weakest in this situation."

Sebastian tried to sit up, but Jace stamped his foot back down on his chest, pushing him back down to the ground. Sebastian's breath came out in a rush as the wind was knocked out of his lungs from Jace's blow. Jace smirked, loving every moment of Sebastian's pain.

Clary leaned forward, trying to get a better view of what was happening. But she lost her balance, squealed as she fell, and then was out in the open, letting everyone see that she was present. Sebastian's look of pain turned to a greedy smile seeing that his prize was finally found.

"Ah, Clary," Sebastian said. "Long time, no see. How are you?"

Simon rushed over to her before picking her up in his arms, cradling her to his chest. He bared his fangs at Sebastian as he started to get up. Jace was distracted and looked at Clary with worry clear in his gold eyes. He heard Sebastian grunt as Isabelle jumped onto his back, making his attention turn back onto what he really was after. Simon walked back over to Maia with Clary still in his arms.

"What are you trying to do?" he asked in a whisper, growling practically. "You almost got yourself killed!"

"I didn't mean to!" Clary whispered back in a reply. "I accidentally fell. That's it."

Simon sighed and placed Clary back on her own two feet. He grasped her hand tightly, making sure she wouldn't run over to Sebastian and try to save everyone elses' lives. It was something he knew all too well of Clary's personality.

"You need to be careful," Simon said. Clary looked over to him with pleading eyes, hoping that he would tell her everything that was going on. He shook his head. "Now isn't the time, Clary."

Clary sighed in defeat as she turned her gaze back on Jace and Sebastian. Everything was practically a blur as she watched the two of them slice each others' clothes with their weapons. Jace had Sebastian pinned to the floor as he punched Sebastian on the chin. Alec finally stepped in, pulling Jace off of Sebastian as Isabelle grabbed on to the back of Sebastian's shirt, holding him back from any more attacks.

"That's enough," Alec said in a loud, clear voice.

"Let me go, Alec," Jace growled as he kicked. It was useless, though. Alec had a steady, hard grip on him.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Stop. You both have taken this too far. Sebastian, just leave. There is no use for you being here any longer."

"I won't leave until I get what I came here for," he replied. He raised up a hand and pointed a bloody finger at Clary. She froze and gripped tighter on Simon's hand. "Come forth, Clary. Nothing will happen to your friends if you just listen to me like a good girl."

Clary stared at Sebastian before she felt Jace's eyes on her, watching her every move. She met his eyes, seeing the pleading he had in them as he shook his head slightly. Clary let go of Simon's hand as she began to walk slowly towards Sebastian and Isabelle. She knew what she had to do just to keep Jace safe from any more harm.

Jace growled, knowing that Clary would just what she was doing. He somehow managed to get out of Alec's grasp before he ran over to her, tackling her to the ground.

"Jace!" Isabelle shouted while accidentally letting go of Sebastian. Alec caught a hold of her arm and stopped her from going any further.

"What about Sebastian?" Alec asked in a growl.

Isabelle stared at her brother before turning her attention back on a smug Sebastian. She nodded her head before throwing her whip's end towards Sebastian's ankle. It twisted around his ankle before she pulled it, making him fall to the ground for the second time in a matter of minutes. She looked back over to Jace and Clary, hoping that no harm had come to Clary. But all she saw was Jace's back hovering over a fragile girl.

Simon stomped over to them before pulling Jace off of Clary. Clary was too shocked to even move as she stared at the ceiling. Finally, Simon put Jace down so he could help her get up, but Clary shrugged him off. She could get up and fight for herself.

"Don't touch me!" she demanded. She walked closer to Sebastian with Jace following closely behind. She looked down at Sebastian when she was only a few feet away. "Don't _ever_ come after me again. If you do, I will personally have Luke kill you. And you know he would."

Sebastian grunted. "Luke? Ha. I was expecting you to say your little boyfriend, but I guess I was wrong."

"Get out of here," Jace growled as he clasped onto Clary's small hand. "Or I will be the one to kill you."

Isabelle loosened the whip's grasp on the boy's ankle before she personally helped him up. Her nails dug into his arms as she pushed him towards the door, making blood trickle out of the marks she left. With one last smirk Sebastian was thrown out of Magnus's apartment by Isabelle. She smiled to herself, noticing how effortless that was, before turning back to her friends.

"That will not be the last time we see him," Alec stated. He turned towards Jace with a look of pure hatred and confusion. "I thought you said he was dead!"

"I never said he was dead," Jace growled. "I said I _thought _he was dead. There's a difference."

Clary rolled her eyes before pulling her hand out of Jace's. She didn't want to be touched by any of them at this moment. She was too upset.

"Lets just go before more trouble starts," she said as she walked towards the doorway. She stepped over to broken pieces of the wall and door before entering the alley. Clary stopped and turned back to look at the faces that were still in the room. "Well? Come on."

Jace sighed before he started walking forward. Alec and Isabelle followed him without a word. Clary began to walk towards the sidewalk with them behind her. She didn't care about the fact that Jace wasn't walking beside her, or the face he wasn't holding her hand. She just wanted to go home and be away from all the lies.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

"You look rough," Luke said as Clary walked through the doorway of his house. "Was the party that fun?"

Clary set her purse down with a sigh before she flopped down on the couch. Jocelyn walked in with a mug of steaming hot liquid. She smiled at Clary as she sat down and began to sip the liquid.

"It wasn't fun at all," Clary replied. "You're not going to believe this, but our enemy is back."

Jocelyn stopped sipping her tea before she looked over to her daughter with confused eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean just that, Mom," Clary said as she rubbed a hand over her tired eyes. "Our enemy, Sebastian, is back. The one Jace swore was dead. The one Jace swore he killed with his own hands. The o-"

"Enough, Clary," Luke said, interrupting her before she could go on a full-on rant. "This isn't Jace's fault. He couldn't have known whether or not if Sebastian was dead or alive. Jace was practically dead himself."

"Luke's right, Clary," Jocelyn said. "There was no way in knowing, so just calm down."

Clary nodded her head, but her anger didn't subside. Jace had lied to her, that's something she wasn't quite used to yet.

Luke sighed and then pulled out his cell phone. "We should tell Maryse and Robert. They have every right to know this information as we do."

"No need to," Clary said while getting up. She was too tired to talk business, especially this kind of business. "Jace, Isabelle, and Alec already told them. I was there when they did."

Clary started to walk down the hallway towards her bedroom. She heard her mother's voice as she discussed the matter with Luke. Clary only half listened, knowing that they would only say a few things different from what Maryse and Robert Lightwood said. All parents practically ran on the same thought stream.

As Clary entered her room she thought of the unfinished drawing she had sitting on her bedside table. She knew it was a drawing of Jace and that she hated leaving things unfinished, but she just didn't have the heart to draw anything right now. She was tired and mad at Jace. Those two things don't go well together when you try to draw.

Instead of drawing, she crawled into bed. She pulled the blankets over her head, blocking out any sound or light that was near. She still could hear her mother's voice and Luke's voice faintly through the walls, but she was used to falling asleep to the noise. It was comfortable to her.

She slept soundly, dreaming of only Jace and him fighting whatever battle he had to.

* * *

**A/N: N'aww. Clary fell asleep and dreamed about Jace all sweaty and bloody. ;D THAT'S MY DREAM RIGHT THERE!**

Reviews were AWESOME on the first chapter. You guys filled my heart with warmth and made me smile. So how about some more of the awesome reviews that I know your mind is telling you to write. And, please, be critiques. It helps me and I do love some tips. :D


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello my good readers. This probably took longer than I wanted it to, but I got it done, so here ya go! :D**

Once again, if you thought this was something _Twilight_ related, I'm sorry to say it's not. This is an _Mortal Instruments_ fanfic.  


* * *

The sweet smell of maple syrup drifted into Clary's room, filling her senses with delight. Her eyes fluttered open as she breathed in a deep breath. Her legs kicked back the blanket she was tangled in and then she stumbled over to her mirror once she was released from the blanket's hold.

Looking at herself and seeing her messy, curly hair, and then the black dress she so happened to forget to take off before she crawled into bed. The dress was all wrinkly now and Clary knew that Isabelle is going to kill her if Clary returned it in the state it was in.

Clary tugged the dress off before putting on a yellow hoodie and jeans. She brushed through her hair before pulling it up and letting a few strands hanging down so her faced looked slightly framed. Before she left the room Clary dared one last look into the mirror, not exactly please with her looks, but it will have to do. She was _starving._

As Clary turned to walk out of her bedroom door there was a knock on it instead. She walked over to it before pulling it open, only to see the one person she wasn't quite expecting.

"Jace?" she asked, not really sure what was going on.

"Hello to you, too," Jace replied with a smirk. Clary rolled her eyes and pushed him out of her way. All of a sudden all the feelings she had from last night came rushing back into her mind, reminding her that she was somewhat mad at him.

Clary walked into the kitchen with Jace trailing her. She didn't speak to him, she just decided to just completely ignore him until she's ready to face him. She grabbed a plate of the pancakes her mother had made and sat down at the small table.

"Good morning," Luke said as she sat down beside him. Clary nodded to him before taking her first bite of the pancakes she nearly had forgotten tasted like heaven.

After a few more bites Clary finally spoke. "Did you talk to Robert and Maryse?"

"I did," Luke replied with a nod. "They said that if he shows up again the Council will be informed."

Clary heard a growl come from beside her. She turned her head to see Jace fisting his hands against his crossed arms.

"I don't like that idea," he said. "We should do something _now,_ not wait around until Sebastian decides it's the perfect time to show up. We won't be guarded correctly if he does show up if they wait."

Jocelyn sat down at the table and looked over to Jace before she asked, "What exactly is he after?"

The room fell silent. Clary looked over to Jace, seeing his muscles grow tense under his shirt sleeves. His eyes stayed glued to the table, but Clary could see them staring at her through his lashes. Her hand twitched and burned with the sensation of touching him just to comfort him, but she knew she couldn't. She was still mad at him.

"Well?" Luke asked, breaking the silence.

Jace sighed. "He's after... Clary." He said her name in a soft whisper; one you could barely hear. But it sounded louder in Clary's ears.

Jocelyn gasped. "Why?"

"I don't know entirely, but I do have a guess," Jace replied. He finally looked up and Clary could see the anger burn in his gold eyes. Suddenly, the pancakes tasted like ash, making her lose her appetite.

"And your guess is?" Luke asked, wanting more information.

"I think he's after her for her power. If he gets a hold of her then he can create rune that makes him powerful." Jace's voice turned to a growl at the end. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to release some of his anger. "That's what I think."

Clary felt sick after hearing what Jace had to say. She pushed her plate away from her, making her mother look up to her with worried eyes.

"Something wrong with the pancakes?" Jocelyn asked.

Clary shook her head. "No, but can I be excused? I'm not feeling well."

Jace looked over to her and he felt horrible. He could see how much she was scared just by seeing the way her features were set. iI shouldn't have talked about it while she was sitting right next to me,/i he thought.

"Sure," Jocelyn said.

Clary pushed back her chair quickly before nearly running out of the room. She pushed open the screen door that lead outside and sat down on the steps. She could smell the salt from the ocean as she took in deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She pulled up her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them.

This was just too much for Clary. Everything was supposed to be fine now that the war with Valentine was over. It shouldn't be how it was now.

Clary heard the screen door open, but didn't move. She felt the presence of someone sitting down beside her before she heard them say, "I'm sorry."

She lifted her head and looked at Jace with confused eyes. "What?"

"I said I was sorry. You shouldn't have heard all that," he replied without looking at her. He just kept staring forward, looking out into the empty world. "I should have saved all that for another time."

Clary placed a hand softly on his arm and he looked over to her. She smiled a sad smile at him before she said, "It's fine. They needed to know."

Jace shook his head. "But it hurt you, Clary. And knowing that I hurt you hurts me."

Her smile lost the sadness and turned into a big grin. Jace smiled back at her, but was clueless at why the sudden happiness just shined through her smile. Clary flung herself at Jace and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What is this for?" Jace asked, tightening his arms around her waist. He went a whole night without her touch, and that was just too long for him.

Clary smiled. "For caring."

"I will always care about you," Jace said into her hair. "Don't ever think that I won't."

She pulled back and looked deeply into Jace's gold eyes. She could see the love that he felt towards her burn in them, making her feel just as beautiful as ever. It was something Jace always could do in times like these. Jace smiled at her crookedly before taking her hand and pulling her up off the stairs.

"Time to go to the Institute," he said as he began to pull her towards the motorcycle parked in the darkness.

Clary looked at it in confusion. It was a vampire motorcycle; it shouldn't be able to come out in the sunlight. She heard Jace chuckle before she looked up to him with the same confused eyes.

"Simon and I fixed it so I could ride it in the light," Jace said.

"Oh," was all Clary could think of to say.

Jace pulled her over before letting her hand go so he could swing his leg over. Once on, he looked over to Clary, seeing her staring down at the ground while twisting her foot in the dirt. He could feel the pull of his lips as they turned into a smile seeing her like that. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

"Clary, you've ridden with me before," he said. "There isn't a thing to worry about."

She looked up through her lashes and smiled slightly before saying, "I know, I know." She climbed on behind Jace and wrapped her arms around his waiste before he started up the motorcycle and sped off.

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

Isabelle stirred the soup as she added in another ingredient. Alec scrunched up his nose at the horrific smell that the soup was producing. He watched as Isabelle threw in another ingredient and wonder if that concoction was going to be even eatable.

"Jeeze, Izzy," he said. "I think we should have just order take-out."

Isabelle slammed down the metal spoon on the counter before glaring at Alec. "NO!"

Alec shrank back in his chair before grabbing the news paper off of the table and pretended to be interested in it. Isabelle went back to cooking just as Clary and Jace walked through the door.

"Whoa," Jace said while pinching his nose. "What died?"

"Shut up," Isabelle growled. Jace smirked and wrapped an arm around Clary's waist. Again, not being able to touch him for a whole night was getting to him.

"Izzy, don't listen to these two," Clary said while nudging Jace in the side with her elbow. He smiled at her before placing a small kiss on her cheek. "They're just being mean. Whatever you cook will be fine."

Alec slammed down the news paper and laughed loudly. "You're kidding, right?"

Clary glared back at him and said, "Nope. And you just earned yourself a whole bowl of whatever she's cooking. You have to eat it _all._ Weather you like it or not."

Isabelle smiled over to Clary before she sent her eyes into a glare on her brother. Clary and Jace took that moment to sneak out of the room before those two started to get into an arguement. They walked down the long hallway towards Jace's room. They walked inside and shut the door before Jace pinned Clary against it.

"You were mad at me last night," he stated while she blushed.

"I was."

Jace moved his hand from the wall, making it trail down Clary's arm slowly until it was resting on the side of her waist. Clary's breath came out in a rush, causing Jace to smirk. It was all a game; a game Jace loved to play with her.

"How come?" he asked.

Clary took in a deep breath before replying. "Well, because you didn't tell me what was going on. You kept a ton of secrets from me - one's that actually involved me. I had to find out what the hell was coming after me all in a rush. I think I had every right to be mad at you."

Jace shrugged. "That seems fair. But what doesn't is the fact when you're mad at me you avoid any contact with me."

"That is too fair," Clary said with a giggle. "Because then I get the satisfaction of knowing that you're suffering."

Jace growled silently and stepped towards her. Clary looked up to his face through her lashes, meeting his gold eyes. Her lips tingled with the sensation of being kissed, but Jace didn't budge to give her what she wanted most.

It was all part of the game.

"You love the thought of my suffering?" Jace asked.

"No," Clary said as she shook her head. "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that I just wanted some way to get back at you, so not talking to you or touching you was the only thing I could think of. And I do think it worked." She finished her little speech with a smirk as she inched closer to Jace's lips.

Jace nodded and then moved a little ways back from her, seeing how much closer she was getting before he said, "It did work. But I still think it's unfair."

Clary growled before placing her hands on his cheeks. "Just kiss me, Jace."

"If you wish," he said with a chuckle.

Clary met his lips in the middle. The kiss was soft for a few minutes, but then it turned into something else. It was something they never had felt before. The kiss was _passionate._ Clary's hands were knotted in Jace's hair as Jace moved his up and down on her back.

All too soon, they broke apart, gasping for air. They locked eyes and Jace placed one more small peck on Clary's swollen lips.

"We need to talk, Jace," Clary whispered, not wanting to ruin anything by saying that one thing.

Jace sighed, knowing exactly what she meant. "I know, Clary. But just give me time to figure out how to keep you safe."

Clary nodded before kissing him once more. She trusted Jace with all her heart. She knew that he would only want the best for her, but what she didn't know what the best held.

* * *

**A/N: REVIEWS! I DO LOVE REVIEWS!**

And I know Jace and Clary's relationship is something we didn't get to see a lot of in the books, but I just really like romantic things so I had to add some in. Most people said they loved seeing them being more romantic so hopefully I won't be hated for it. XD


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: FINALLY! I finished a chapter for this fic! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. -runs around happily-**

Okay, so thanks for being so patient with me. I appreciate it. (:

Nothing more to say, so I'm just going to let you get to reading what you came here to read.

And remember, kiddies. I don't own the characters.

Enjoy!  


* * *

"You're still struggling to find a way to get rid of him?" Isabelle asked as she watched Jace pace back and forth in the library.

He growled. "Does it look like I'm not?"

"Smooth move, Izzy," Alec said under his breath.

Clary watched in silence, not wanting Jace to be angry with her for asking him stupid things and because he truly looked frightening at that moment. His jaw was set tight, his back muscles tight, hands clenched into fists, and gold eyes that pierced your soul with just one glare. All of that mixed together with Jace's attitude wasn't a very pleasant experience for anyone, especially Clary since she's always the one to calm him down.

"Sorry," Isabelle mumbled while looking down at the floor.

Jace growled again before turning to face the doorway. He threw Clary an apologetic glance before marching out of the doors and out into the hall. Clary knew not to go after him, but also knew exactly where he was going. The garden.

Jace would always escape there whenever he was frustrated ever since the group has come back from the Glass City. He felt like it was his one place of truth and honesty - besides being right next to Clary's side - and it calmed him down more than any of his friends and family could. What he liked most about the garden was being reminded of Clary's birthday and his present to her. It was one of his fondest memories even if it was ruined in the end.

He walked all the way over to the edge of the garden and took a seat on the floor. When he looked up he could see the moon straight above him, shining brightly down on the dirty city of New York. Jace instinctively plucked a flower from it's stem and started to twirl it in his fingers, wishing that Clary was sitting beside him so he could place it in her hair. But because of his actions Clary stayed away for at least an hour to give him his peace.

During that hour of being alone Jace thought about his life. He normally would think of it here, but instead of the bad things he thought of the good things this time. If it wasn't for that one night in Pandemonium he would have never met Clary and fallen in love with her, he would have never become the man he is today, and he would still think the lie of which was actually the truth. He couldn't complain that his life was terrible because of how things turned out for him, but that nagging voice was still there in his mind, stating how much he was lied to.

Jace heard soft footsteps approaching him so he stopped thinking of all of that and just thought of Clary. He felt her standing behind him a few feet away and his heart tugged towards her, needing her to be right with him. He lifted up his arm and waved her forward. Once she was close enough he pulled her in front of him and pulled her down so she was sitting on his legs, resting her back against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"Talk to me," she whispered.

He shook his head. "I can't yet. I haven't thought of anything... I've never felt this _useless_ before." He whispered the last part, but knew that Clary had heard him.

"You're not useless, Jace. Maybe there's nothing we can do about Sebastian yet. Maybe we're just moving ahead of ourselves and now we've gotten ourselves stuck in this one situation that will take a while to get back out of." Clary sounded so sure of herself, but Jace knew better than all of that. He could fix this, he would fix this. He would keep his love safe.

"Clary, maybe we should just get up and leave," Jace said with a smirk. It wasn't his worst idea, but it was close to it.

She laughed. "And that would fix all of our problems how?"

"Well, we won't tell anyone where we are going. We find some secret, remote location that's hard to find to live for the rest of our lives there." He sighed. "No one would ever come close to hurting you, Clary. You and I could just have a normal life."

Jace knew better than that. They're lives could never again be normal now that they've lived through all of the thing they have endured. They've all changed because of it, and there's no going back to normal.

"Jace..." Clary sighed. "You know we couldn't do that."

"Because of Izzy and Alec, right? Because of every single person we care about would be hurting. Because it's just not right," he growled. "Don't thi-"

"Now, stop it." She turned around in his lap and straddle his waist, grabbing the sides of his face to make him look her straight in the eye. "Yes, I will think like that because it's true, Jace. We can't just get up a leave everyone without saying something. That isn't fair to them or ourselves. We would end up missing them and going back to the place we were trying to get away from. Don't you see that? Don't you _get _that?"

Jace was silent as he watched Clary's green eyes gaze into his. She was right. No, more than right. She had the whole thing thought about before him. She was proving _him_ wrong. Never before... She's always have.

"Clary, I'm sorry," he whispered.

She sighed and removed her hands from his face. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone on like that."

He shook his head and replied, "Of course you should have. You were proving how stupid I was being, and I needed that, Clary. Don't be afraid next time to just slap me across the face." He chuckled and pushed a strand of her hair behind her hair. "Just don't slap me too hard."

She giggled. "I wouldn't."

Jace's hand remained by her cheek before cupping it. Clary leaned into and kissed the palm of his hand with closed eyes. He couldn't help but smile at this small girl in front of him. She was loving him back, even after all he has done to her she's still loving him. That's all he could ever ask for from her.

Jace and Clary ended up spending the night just gazing up into the stars that were barely visible. It was peaceful and something that Jace forget could make him forget everything that was happening around him for a night.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

"Do you think Jace will be back in time?" Isabelle asked while brushing through Clary's hair.

Clary thought about if for a minute. Jace had left early that morning, only saying that he had something to take care of. Clary was a little weary just letting him go by himself, but she trusted his judgment. He kissed her goodbye and begged her to go back to sleep since he woke her up when he removed himself from the bed before leaving. Of course she couldn't sleep knowing that he was somewhere without her. What if Jace had gotten hurt and no one knew about it? What if he was held captive? It would all be her fault in her eyes seeing as how she just let him walk out without saying where he was going.

Clary had a good idea of where he was, and that wasn't something she wanted to share. She thought Jace had went out to seek Sebastian out and try to kill him himself. Clary thought it was a stupid move, but Jace was somehow slipping with this moves. She was sort of expecting this from seeing how much stress Jace was under knowing that Clary wasn't safe. And it hurt her to see him so frustrated just because of her; it wasn't fair to him.

"Hopefully," Clary replied while staring at Isabelle in the mirror. "If he's not it's no big deal. It's just a party. One that we're not even supposed to be going to, might I add."

Isabelle smiled darkly and giggled. "Who cares? Alec, Simon, and I all have our own weapons. Jace has nothing to worry about when it comes to keeping you safe. And, besides, if he thinks you're going to get hurt he'll show up. Which, might I add," she smiled from the small joke, "happens."

Clary just rolled her eyes and focused back on what Isabelle was doing to her hair. She wanted to make sure it was easy enough for Jace to just pull right out seeing has how he loved her hair down. He once told her it was an easier for Isabelle to just leave it down because he can't stand it up since he always wants to twirl a strand between his fingers when him and Clary were close.

Once the girls were ready they headed out with Alec and Simon. Clary stayed back behind them, getting lost in her own thoughts of Jace and all the horrors that could happen to him while he was gone. She didn't notice Simon slow down and catch up with her once she grew close to him, but when he touched her shoulder and gave it a light shake she jumped.

"Jeeze, Simon," she breathed. "Don't do that to me!"

He laughed. "So sorry. But what's up? You look like you're about to fall apart."

She sighed and shrugged, making her eyes go straight to the sidewalk underneath them.

"This is about Jace." Simon's voice was flat, making Clary wince when she heard the venom come from her best friend.

"Yeah..." was the only thing Clary could whisper out. She was afraid Simon would snap at her for being so weak without him. It was one of those things he never noticed he would do until after he did it, and after seeing Clary stare up at him with teary eyes.

Simon remained silent, not even bothering to go any further with the questions that were popping up in his head. He knew that Clary could - would - take care of Jace by herself, but he couldn't help but feel hatred towards Jace for just leaving her. From the look on Clary's face Simon knew that Jace didn't even bother to tell her where he was going. _Typical, _Simon thought.

Clary looked up to her friend through her lashes, but when she looked up and didn't see his body beside her she grew worried. She looked forward and sighed in relief after seeing all three of her friends walking a little too far ahead of her. She stared to walk faster but stopped in front of an alley entryway when something growled at her.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed down the empty alley, replying back with her own statement.

A dark laugh sounded from behind a trash bin, making Clary's eyes pinpoint right on the spot. A figure rose up slowly from behind it. Panic ran down Clary's spine as she stared right at the body of some guy. She knew she should run, but her body was frozen in place.

"Out alone?" the man asked. Clary felt the blood leave her face after recognizing the voice.

In the blink of her eyes, the man was standing over her. The familiar voice of evil became clearer, revealing the one person she really didn't want to see.

Sebastian shook his head in disapproval. "I thought you would have known better than to be out this late. Especially dressed up like that."

"Leave me alone," Clary said, but her voice wavered with fear.

Sebastian raised up an eyebrow and smirked. "I don't think so."

* * *

**Where's Jace? Oh, I don't know. |:**

Give me some thoughts!?! And reviews? Haha, please? :D


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm doooooooooooone with this. After months of struggling on how I wanted the last scene to go, I finally figured out how I wanted it and just wrote and wrote and wrote.**

This better sastisy your souls. You hear me?

If it doesn't I'll send Sebastian after you. ;3

_These's characters are Cassandra Clare's thoughts and loves._ Oh, how I wish they were mine.... ;[

* * *

"Jace!" Isabelle yelled while running up to him before jumping into his arms. He chuckled before placing her feet back on the ground.

"Nice to see you too, Izzy," Jace said while pushing his weapons further into his jacket. He didn't want to seem like a threat in front of all of Magnus's friends, he knew how bad that would end.

She smiled and giggled nervously. "It better be. But, uh, is Clary with you? I can't seem to find her... _at all."_

Jace gave her a skeptical look before pushing her aside. He pushed everyone that was in his path to the side, only looking for the one person he truly needed at this moment. He needed her to take away the anger he felt for not finding the one person that was out to get Clary, he needed her just to take away everything right now so he could enjoy the party without feeling hostile.

Without her there Jace couldn't relax - couldn't _breathe._ He felt like the world was suffocating him, pushing him down so he seemed so small that it wasn't right.

"Jace, are you all right?" Alec asked while stopping Jace's search with his hand on Jace's shoulder. "You look like you just seen something you didn't even want to know existed."

Jace ran a hand over his face, wiping away the thin line of perspiration from his forehead. "Where the hell is Clary?"

Alec shook his head and his eyes were filled with confusion. "She followed us all the way here, I thought. She should be somewhere around here, Jace. Just relax, we can find her."

"What if we _can't,_ Alec? What if Sebastian got to her before we did? Did you even think about what he could to do to her?" Jace ranted. He was furious with this stall in his search so he pushed Alec's hand away from his shoulder and stepped away from him. "Just let me find her, and if Sebastian has her I will kill him myself."

Jace walked away from Alec and pushed his way to the door. He kicked it open, nearly knocking down a warlock that was waiting for entrance. Magnus' voice was heard yelling at Jace for breaking his things, but Jace could care less. His mind was set on finding Clary before anything could happen to her. And if something did happen to her... he would get his revenge on that bastard.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Let me go!" Clary yelled while struggling to grasp onto Sebastian's hold on her jacket.

He swatted her hand away before pushing her to the ground, laughing evilly while watching her struggle to get back onto her feet. Clary pushed herself off the wet ground and noticed a scratch on her arm starting to ooze blood. She cuddled it close to her chest, pressing her other hand on the wound to stop the blood while glaring up at Sebastian.

"Get up," he demanded with a smirk. "You're slowing me down."

Clary ignored his demand, not even budging to move. Her ankle was throbbing now, and when she tried to turn it a shot of pain would race up her leg, making her gasp. She let go of the wound on her arm to massage her ankle, hoping that the pain would subside so she could make her escape without tripping.

She looked up through her lashes to see what Sebastian was doing, but he wasn't standing in front of her anymore. No, he was behind her, preparing to just knock her out cold with a single punch. The idea seemed heavenly since he knew that would get Jace's rage boiling over its pot. Sebastian chuckled to himself before crouching down to whisper in Clary's ear.

"You know, the damsel in distress thing works well for you," he said. "Especially when I know you're prince charming will never ever be able to save you."

Clary was about to make her escape but Sebastian's fist was faster than her. It connected sharply with her head, pushing it towards the ground. Her head connected with the asphalt with a _thud_ and everything went black immediately after.

x-x-x-x-x-x

_By the angel, Clary. Where the hell are you?_

Jace's eyes scanned over everything; every trashcan, every hidden corner, every single thing he could find. He noticed a few small things, hoping that it would lead him to his love, but when he got close enough, it wasn't anything to deal with her. His frustration grew and grew as every minute ticked by him, making him lose precious time.

"This is all my fault," he mumbled to himself while pushing garbage out of his way. "All my fucking fault."

Bending down, he picked up a piece of cloth that looked slightly familiar. He remembered seeing this same blue material in Isabelle's closet. This was on Clary's body one time before this.

Jace growled and pushed himself away from the ground. With adrenaline pumping in his veins, he ran with no abandon. His hands clenched around the handles on the seraph blades, readying himself for any attack.

But, just then, a scream sounded. Jace ran faster, knowing whose scream that was.

Turning a corner, he saw her. She was huddled closer to Sebastian's chest, struggling just to get a single breath with ease. His mouth was hovering close to her hair, whispering what Jace only knew as threats to keep her quiet. Dark eyes met Jace's as he paced forward. No matter what, Jace was going in for the kill, even if it meant for his own death too.

"Figured you'd show up by now," Sebastian said once Jace was only a few feet away. His grip on Clary tightened as he tried to get back on her feet. As he did, he pulled out a blade from his back pocket, pushing it against Clary's neck. "Take another step and I slice."

"Like you would," Clary hissed out through clenched teeth.

Sebastian chuckled and hitched the blade higher on her neck. Jace could see a thin line of blood trickle down from where it had sunken in. It pained him more than anything ever could.

"You might want to watch you words, beautiful. It might cause you your life and his." His eyes landed on Jace and a wave of anxiousness went through them. "Don't want that, now do we?"

Clary looked into Jace's eyes with worry clear in her green ones. If he didn't move quickly she would be gone, but if he moved to quickly both he and she would be gone. Neither one of them he wanted to see come true, so he decided to play the liar. And everyone knew he was an excellent liar.

"Sebastian, you know people have been wondering where the hell you've been, right?" he asked with a smirk. "The Council has sent a ton of troops just to track you down, and yet, I'm the one to find you. Do you see a pattern starting to form, or is it just me?"

Sebastian's right shoulder rose up in a shrug. "Slightly, but you've only been the one who knows where exactly I go. Seeing as how we kind of shared a father, wouldn't you think we would almost think alike?"

"I agree."

"So you see my dilemma?" Sebastian asked while lowering the blade. "I can't seem to get rid of you without having to kill you, and if I have to kill you I have to lure you in somehow. And that's why I chose Clary to pick on," he smiled and released his hold on her. She fell to the ground in an instant, and Jace had to hold himself back just so he wouldn't run to her side. "She's your_ one_ weakness_._ You're only one. Knowing that, I just had to attack. You can understand that, right?"

Jace growled and his hands grew tighter around his hold on the seraph blades. Sebastian was using almost the same tactic as Jace, and he knew it. _Damn it. Damn it to hell, _Jace thought.

As if on instinct, Jace's eyes fell onto Clary, watching her struggle to stand up on her own. He could tell she was hurting from all the shit Sebastian probably put her through, and he knew that she was weak, almost on the verge of unconsciousness. If only she could hold on… Just a little while longer…

"You're hurting. I can see that." Sebastian's voice cut the silence as he stared straight at Jace. "Just seeing her look like this causes you pain. _Pathetic."_

Clary dared one last look up, hoping that Jace could read everything she was screaming in her mind through her eyes. They shared a long, hard look before her world went black and she fell to the wet pavement.

Jace's heart stopped right at that moment.

"Oh, bless her soul. She gave quite a fight, might I add," Sebastian mumbled while he lowered himself down on his knees so he was hovering over Clary's still body. His hand ran over her red locks before his dark eyes flashed to Jace. "You should be proud."

With eyes covered in red with anger, Jace pulled out his seraph blades with a growl. Without hesitation he ran towards Sebastian, who was now standing on his feet ten steps in front of Clary. Jace took in a deep breath before swinging; connecting one of his blades into the flesh of Sebastian's right shoulder.

"You should be more aware," Jace growled while pushing the blade in further. Sebastian cried out in pain as Jace pulled the blade quickly out. "And not so weak."

With one last attempt to swinging a punch, Sebastian growled out the words, "This isn't the end of this," and he began to crawl out, searching for a shadow to hide in.

Jace watched him leave as he wiped his blade against his pants, ridding the blood. Once the blade was put safely back, he bent down and pushed him arms under Clary's cold body. She lay limp in his arms, her skin white a blotchy, and her eyes closed with dark circles underneath them. This look scared Jace, and so he ran all the way back to the Institute.

* * *

**Well, damn. I'm just a pisser, aren't I? ;o**

Sorry, cliffy was necissary. Hate me, if you will.

Revieeeeeeeeeew this. 'Cause I miss reviews filling up my inbox on my e-mail.


	6. Chapter 6

**Um... I'ma wait until the end to talk. Just go ahead and read.**

* * *

Jace ran his heart out. His blood was pumping through his veins with adrenaline as he the cold rain pelted against his and Clary's cold body. His eyes scanned for Sebastian, but every few seconds they would flicker to her face, making sure she still had a hint of color to her cheeks. Without her, Jace would be nothing, and he didn't want that. Not now, after he found the one person who made him whole.

He would fight for her, die for her – anything. He just wants to be there for her.

"Jace!" Isabelle yelled from the stairs the led up to the big door of the cathedral. "Hurry, we have a bed set up for her."

Jace followed her inside and into the elevator before placing Clary down on the floor. Placing his fingertips over her pulse-point, he prayed to the Angel that she was all right. Isabelle hovered over him, muttering silent prayers, and pulled out her stele.

"Here, you forgot yours," she said softly.

He took it from her and grabbed Clary's arm. "Thank you, Izzy."

Drawing the right rune on her skin, he began to breathe more easily. Some more color flooded to Clary's cheeks once he was finished, and he sighed in relief. She would be okay – for now. And Jace knew that it was long enough to move her. Clasping her hand in his, he kissed her cold palm and closed his eyes tightly. For once in his life, Jace was actually _afraid. _All because of what he held dear to him.

The bell dinged and he pulled Clary close to him before standing up. Isabelle moved in front of him, but held onto his arm for comfort. She never really showed how much she cared about Clary to her face, but, deep inside her heart, she ached. For Clary – for Jace.

Alec pushed the huge door open once he noticed their presence. Isabelle stopped walking with Jace to stand by her brother, who put his arm around her to make her relax. They watched as Jace laid Clary down before he moved about, trying to put life back into her limp body.

"Damn it," Jace muttered when he could do no more. He felt defeated and angry, but he couldn't help but feel guilt. _He_ had done this to Clary. _He_ was the one who put her right up and close to the face of danger. _He_ was the cause of everything that had hurt her. _He_ was the one who needed to suffer, not her.

"Jace," Isabelle whispered out as she placed her soft hand on his back in between his shoulder blades. He shrugged her hand off, making her gasp and take a step back. She turned into Alec's chest and tears began to fall.

"What the hell, Jace?" Alec growled out.

Jace shook his head and cursed. He didn't want to care about what he'd done, but he couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry, Izzy." He brushed a hand over his face. "I'm just tired. That's all."

"Then why don't you go get some rest. We'll stay here and watch over her," Alec said in a quieter tone. Jace turned to face him with an open mouth, but Alec held up his hand. "Just go or I'll force you out of here."

Jace hesitated before giving in. He turned to Clary, placed a soft kiss on her cold cheek, and walked out of the room. He felt hallow and dead as he trudged down to his room. When he looked down to his feet, he noticed that his clothes were filthy, but he didn't care. He couldn't care about anything else _but_ Clary. His whole mind couldn't function without her being close.

He was diseased with love.

_Get a grip, man. You've lived without her before, so try again, you idiot._

With a growl, he pushed the door right into the wall, making it crash. Things swayed with the vibrations as he stormed around his room. The golden hair on top of his head was being pulled and ripped out by his strong, callused hands as he paced.

Would she live? Would she hate him for putting her life in danger like he has? What would she think if he couldn't keep keeping her safe? Would she leave him?

A knock on the door pulled Jace out of his thoughts. He pulled the door open sharply and glared at Simon.

"Calm down," Simon said without a hint of fear. "I'm just here to talk."

"Oh, are you now?" Jace asked with an eye roll and a heavy dose of sarcasm. Simon smirked and acted like it hurt him by wincing. Jace growled and his hand clenched into a fist, ready to punch. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes, vampire, so get on with it."

"This is my fault."

_Wait. What?_

Jace took a step back and stared at him with wide eyes. "Go on."

"I got mad at her – personal reasons – and dropped my gaze from her. I should have stayed by her side, but I didn't. And now I feel like a total moron for it," Simon finished with a sigh. "Don't take it out on everyone else."

Jace relaxed a tad, but his mind wandered back to where his love was laying lifeless. Before he could go any farther down the path of his mind, he looked Simon straight in the eyes and nodded. If comfort came from a friend, then a friend is what Jace needs.

"Come in," he said as he stepped aside. Simon gave him a questioning gaze but complied and stepped inside Jace's room.

They both gazed at each other as silent minutes ticked by. Jace wanted to speak; to say something to just take his mind off of things. Simon wanted to leave, but knew that Jace needed someone to be there for him.

"So," Simon said, breaking the silence. "Who did this to her?"

Jace growled out, "Who do you think?"

_Wrong thing to ask, _Simon thought to himself. He ran a hand through his hair, wishing desperately for an escape.

"I see…" Simon mumbled.

"Why don't you just go?" Jace said with a sigh. "This clearly isn't working."

Simon nodded and began to head towards the door. He stopped and glanced back over his shoulder at Jace.

"I really am sorry. Next time I'll be there with her or standing by your side to fight the bastard," Simon said before leaving.

Jace knew Simon meant his words. But whenever the time comes, Jace will be the one to kill him. With or without help.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Three days have passed. That's all Jace knew.

When he woke up on that third day, he went about what he usually did for the past two days. Took a shower, walked around the Institute until he couldn't handle it anymore, strolled around New York, and then slept. He couldn't make himself go see Clary, it was just too hard. So, he made time move by doing useless things.

But today was different. Alec met him outside of his bedroom door with a smile.

"She's awake," was all he said.

Jace took off running towards the infirmary, not stopping even when he felt something terrible about to happen.

* * *

**So, I think this chapter is 100% horrifying, but that's just me. Why, you ask? Well, one - it's short. Two - I struggled all the way through it, and rushed it to just finish it. Three - I just simply don't like how things went in it. Call me picky, but that's just how my stories have to go. Prefect.**

**But if you liked it, don't let my negative thoughts stop you. I'd love to hear what you guys think, and I'm (possibly) thinking of getting a Beta (if I figure out how it works, and stuff, ha.). So if you want to help me, pm me, and (maybe?) we're in business.**

**I sound soooo unsure right now. :D**

**Like always, reviews and constructive critism is loved. Always. Don't let anything stop you, unless you just don't wanna.**

**I'm out. I've rambled on way too much.**

**30 Seconds to Mars' new album - priceless. Go listen, buy it, download it, whatever. You won't regret it.**

**Oh, and I (sort of) have a twitter. If you guys want, I can post the link on my page here and maybe I'll get more use out of it by updating you on how stories and chapters are coming. Or if you just want to stalk me, that's cool, too. Just tell me if that's what you all want, and I'll follow your command. (:**


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